Middle East meets West: Straddling life between the United Arab Emirates and Northern California.

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Frustration in the Grocery Line

Remind me never to initiate small talk when I'm in line in New York. Or at least, not when the economy is this bad.

The Rite Aide across the street from my apartment in Manhattan always has a long line at the checkout counters, mostly because the place is understaffed. Nothing new here. Downsizing on staff has been one of the biggest consequences of the global economic downturn, but I was just trying to be "friendly" to the lady behind me and mustered: "There are always understaffed here, huh?"And it's as if I begged this woman to fume at the political state of the the U.S."It's all around the country honey. And it is only going to get worse. We got idiots in Congress and an idiot in the White House.And you know what he wants to do now? Stop NASA. The only thing that brought us to the 21st century. We're going back to windmills. You just see."

Just as she's done spewing out her 2 cents, it's time for me to pay for my stuff. Nothing like a 10 minute wait in line to give you a taste of New York.

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Sentimental Version
I am from two countries.
Neither is really mine.
My body resides in a prosperous city with familiar voices,
but my heart resides in a country that now speaks a language foreign to my ears.
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The less poetic version:
Born and raised in the United Arab Emirates. Next nine months in a small town: South Hadley, MA. The three after that in Palo Alto, California. I left my heart in San Francisco, because Israeli security would never let me leave it in Palestine.
And now I am back in Abu Dhabi, the sunny (and humid) capital of the UAE. God knows where I will be next.